Publication Scottish Country Dances by James McMillan 1487

Originally only a few paper copies were printed for private circulation. A new edition was made in 2018 by Maureen Daniel, who collected these dances in a single pdf, and included her diagrams.

Erratum: In the Table of Contents, the “Sheilandwill Jig” is erroneously listed as “Sheilandwill”. The name on the dance page is correct.

The first item in this publication is “Triple Tournée”. That is not a dance but the following description of the figure “Triple Tournée” that appears in three of the dances.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ This is a tournée for 3 couples in strathspey time. Top and bottom couples change places with 8 travelling steps.

Bars 1 Top lady dances in above partner, top man dances in below his partner pulling back left shoulder to face his own side; middle couple dance in and pull back right shoulder to face their own side of the dance, man above his partner; bottom lady dances in pulling back left shoulder to face own side of the dance and bottom man dances in below partner. All three couples are now in a straight line up and down the middle of the set, the top 3 people are facing the men’s side and the bottom 3 facing the women’s side, with nearer hands joined.

2 - 4 All three couples dance round half-way, anti-clockwise, on the fourth step the couples at top and bottom of the line change to right hands so the women face towards the men’s side and the men face towards the women’s side of the dance, middle couple retain left hands

5 - 8 Top and bottom couple turn with the right hand one-and-a-half times, middle couple turn with the left hand one-and-a-half times, then dance out to finish on own sides. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++